The groundbreaking ceremony for the $20 million National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Pilot Plant at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville marks the beginning of construction of a state-of-the-art, 23,000 square foot

Illinois Governor George Ryan speaks at groundbreaking of the new national corn-to-ethanol research plant

facility that includes both a wet and dry mill ethanol pilot plant.  The facility will simulate a full-scale, commercial facility producing 50,000 gallons of ethanol a year.  Its modular construction will allow efficient tests of new equipment, technology, processing and feedstocks.  In addition to testing new technologies for producing ethanol, it will also develop new value-added byproducts.  The plant should be completed by January of 2003.

Illinois Governor George Ryan participated in the event.  "This is a tremendous step forward in our efforts to broaden the use of ethanol in this country and across the globe," said Ryan.  Ryan was joined by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin as well as Illinois Congressmen John Shimkus and Jerry Costello.